To Finer Things
by TBM1
Summary: It's 2288. James never left the Vault, and Vault 101 descended into chaos. When Ophelia,the Overboss of Nuka World,travels to the Capital Wasteland on the prospect of expanding, she instead finds the captivating sole survivor of 101. Alex is almost too good to be true,but Ophelia can't quite figure out the beautiful woman's motives. Will she leave 101 whole, mentally or physically?
1. Greed

_**Author's Note: Something a little bit different here. So if any of you have read From The Vault, then you know that Alex is my evil Lone Wanderer and my precious baby. A friend that I collab with posed me the interesting idea of "AU where Alex never leaves the Vault." This immediately set the wheels in my head turning. So I would like to make this clear that this story isn't directly connected to From The Vault, nor will it change the course of that story in any way. Just a bit of a different take on my favorite OC to see how I could write her as a polar opposite. I hope you all enjoy.**_

The ancient wooden door creaked on its rusted and rotted hinges as it swayed gently to and fro with the wind. Ophelia took it gently, almost worried that the wood would crumble if she gripped it with more force. She pushed it open, and the wind made it slam into the rock that held up the doorframe. It hit with such force that the prehistoric hinge snapped cleanly off, and the whole structure crashed into the dirt, sending a plume of dust scattering about the feet of the small group of Raiders.

"Well, this is already going smoothly." She pushed some of her shoulder length, bright pink hair away from her face. Gage scoffed quietly behind her, and the few other men remained silent. As her small group started to head into the cavern, they were immediately accosted with the smell of rot and death.

Gage gagged quite audibly, pinching his nose with his thumb and forefinger and stopping dead in his tracks. "Oh fucking Christ. Ophelia, this place is already fucking disgusting; for all we know that distress call is old as hell and this place has already been picked over more than a whore at a bachelor party."

The pink haired woman looked back at her second in command, giving him a glare. "C'mon, Gage, don't act like a pussy. This place could be a gold mine, and if it's not in too bad of shape we might be able to set up an operation here."

The older man scowled as the other men laughed at him, and he drew his gun confidently. "You already know I'm down for this, just smells like ten kinds of shit," he glared daggers into one of the men that was laughing at him, "Shut the fuck up, or you'll be joining whatever fucking corpse is creating that stench."

The insults and laughter finally dying down a bit, Ophelia led her group further into the cavern, holding a bandana over her nose and mouth to filter out some of the stench of rot. She could see that the vault door was sealed shut, and there was a panel with blinking lights nearby, indicating that the power was still on. There were some skeletons in front of the door, most of them obviously pre-war and so rotted that Ophelia was surprised that they were still intact. Signs were scattered about them, giving desperate pleas to be let in, or even threats.

The source of the rotting smell was here as well, there was a somewhat recent corpse of what appeared to be another raider. His skin was filthy and his mismatched armor covered in long dried blood. His belly had been torn open, and his innards were mostly gone. Flies covered the corpse, and Ophelia noticed with a start that both of his eyes were gone.

"What the fuck happened to this poor son of a bitch?" Gage muttered, looking at the corpse with a stony expression of disgust. The pink haired woman leaned a little bit closer to the body to get a better look in the dim light that trickled in through the doorway. "It looks like it could have been some sort of animal attack maybe. His throat and eyes are gone."

One of the men shifted about uncomfortably. "I got a really fucking bad feeling about this place."

Ophelia stood quickly, turning to glare the man in the face. His name was Jason, and he was a rather young boy that had joined the gang just a few months ago. The pink haired woman had a knack for sniffing out weakness, and this nineteen year old, scrawny boy was definitely the weakest link. He had long brown hair down to his shoulders, and a scruffy beard that grew in patches on his cheeks and jaw. Jason was rather short, and quite skinny, but he did whatever Ophelia asked him without question.

He was obviously intimidated by her, as she constantly told him to nut up and be a man. Ophelia was no shrinking violet, and she ran a tight ship; being the Overboss was not the job for a pushover. She rounded on the young man without a second thought, her voice taught with anger. "Jason, how many fucking times do I have to tell you to stop being such a little boy? If you want this life you have to grow a pair. It's one dead guy, that probably got attacked by feral dogs or something."

Almost as if on cue as she spoke the words, there was a deep growling that came from the doorway. Six heads whipped around to take in the sight of a rather large dog making its way through the doorway, blocking out some of the light as it crept into the cave. Before anyone really had time to react, the beast was bounding forward, leaping onto a man by the name of Tony and knocking him to the rough stones of the ground. The dog had ripped his throat out in a matter of seconds, leaving him gurgling and choking on blood as he gripped at the wound that used to be his throat.

The creature was darting at Gage next, but the more experienced raider was ready for the attack. He drew a combat knife with smooth finesse, darting forward to collide with the animal. It sunk its teeth into his forearm, and he cried out in pain and rage as he thrusted his knife up to the hilt into the dog's chest.

Yelping and howling in pain, the dog released his arm and hit the ground with a solid thump. Gage growled as he looked at his arm, dripping blood at an alarming rate all over the stones of the cavern. "This is fucking shit, goddamn place better be worth it." He wrenched his knife out of the dying animal, thrusting it back in several times to finish it off.

Ophelia turned away, crouching down next to Tony. His brown eyes were blankly staring up at the cavern's ceiling, his hands limp on his chest and his throat still weakly oozing blood. "Alright everyone, we're down one man. Be on your toes." She stood up, looking down at his corpse with a stony expression.

Gage was gripping his forearm, blood trickling from between his fingers. He looked up at Ophelia with concern in his single eye, and she felt a small worry grow in her chest. Her relationship with the man was complicated, and a small part of her had started to hate him, but he was still her second in command and they had been through a lot together.

They had run out of Stimpaks the day before, and Ophelia was a little worried about her compatriot. "There might be some kind of medical supplies in this vault, we need to flush that wound before we wrap it up Gage."

The pink haired woman made her way over to the blinking panel, looking at the controls. There were only a few buttons, a lever, a small speaker, and a slot for a key, but there was no key to be seen anywhere. Not really knowing what else to do, and seeing that none of the buttons were labeled, Ophelia began hitting different buttons until something happened. There was silence for a minute or two, and the raider felt irritation twist in her heart.

Just as she started to turn away from the speaker and tell everyone to roll out, a woman's voice crackled over the speaker. "Hello?"

Ophelia spun back around in shock, rushing back to the panel and smashing a button near the speaker, praying that it was the correct button for this vault dweller to hear her. "We got your message about needing help, and we're willing to make a trade. We've got an injured man out here, so if you take care of him, we can stomp out your little problem."

Silence crackled through the air for a tense moment, before the sultry voice finally came back over the ancient speaker. "Alright, just give me a moment to open the door."

The raider almost couldn't believe her ears. A grin spread over her face; slaughtering the vault dwellers should be a simple enough task if they were really stupid enough to just let anybody in.

A few minutes went by before a tremendous metal screeching filled the small cavern. The raiders covered their ears, and Ophelia grit her teeth so hard that her jaw ached. Gage looked absolutely miserable as blood ran down his forearm and spattered his filthy armor. They didn't even have time to discuss a plan before the massive metal door was rolling open. The men looked to Ophelia for leadership, and she just gave a simple, "Keep it civil, and follow my lead."

Ophelia approached the door confidently, expecting an armed guard to greet them, or even a ragtag group of survivors, but what greeted her in the doorway of the vault door completely floored her.

She had raven black curls down to her shoulders, full, pouty lips painted a bright crimson, intelligent emerald eyes, framed by a jet black cat eye and sharp cheekbones. Her jaw was small and feminine, yet somewhat sharp and intense. Ophelia felt her cheeks color as her eyes drifted to the woman's skin tight leather vault suit. Her hips were wide and curvy, her waist thin and accentuating an hourglass figure. Her chest was full and the raider caught her eyes lingering there for longer than necessary. She looked like a pre-war pinup.

Any trace of hostility that had been in her soul seemed to dissipate like steam into open air at the very sight of the woman with the raven curls. She tried to force herself to say something, anything at all, but her mouth went as dry as cotton and her blood seemed to boil. Ophelia knew she was blushing hard and just staring at this woman with an open mouth, but the vault dweller did not react to this.

Those emerald eyes regarded the pink haired woman briefly before drifting to the blood trickling from Gage's arm. As she noticed the dead man, she covered her ruby lips with her hands, stepping back slightly in shock. "You've already lost someone so close to my vault? I am so sorry, you must come inside and let me help you!"

Ophelia gave a nod, swallowing thickly and motioning for her men to follow her inside. Her legs felt like jelly as she walked towards the beautiful woman, and her mind was spinning slightly, wondering why this random vault dweller was affecting her so badly. She looked over at Gage, seeing that he was gritting his jaw hard to cover his pain. Looking to her right at Jason, he was blushing hard and his eyes were glued to the vault dweller. Apparently the woman with raven curls was having the same effect on the young man and the pink haired woman.

The vault dweller pushed her raven locks away from her eyes and smiled warmly as Ophelia grew close. "You all can follow me, and I will take care of that man's arm. I am terribly sorry about your poor friend." Her voice was low and smooth like silk, Ophelia did not want her to stop talking.

She didn't even give Ophelia time to say anything before she had turned away and was leading them into the vault. The raider's eyes snapped to the woman's backside as she walked, swaying her wide hips, and she felt like she was about to have a brain aneurysm. There was no possible way she would be able to take this angelic woman's life; she didn't want anyone to lay a finger on that pale porcelain flesh.

Most of her mind was now considering getting Gage patched up and killing the roaches before simply leaving; but as they followed the woman with the raven curls deeper into the vault, Ophelia became increasingly aware that the vault did not appear to be in any sort of distress. There were no roaches to be seen, or any other people for that matter. The long metal halls were exceptionally clean and lacked any evidence that there had ever been any radroaches.

The vault was absolutely silent except for their own footsteps and the quiet humming of machinery. As they grew nearer to a cafeteria of sorts, Ophelia grew slightly more concerned as to what was going on in this vault. "So, we got your message over the radio, about radroaches. And so far I do not see a single roach, or even another person for that matter. Did this place get evacuated or something?"

The woman turned around to give the raider a warm smile, gently clasping her hands together as she spoke. "Oh that old message? Yes, there is no longer a state of emergency here, as I'm sure you can tell, Miss?" She trailed off, expecting for Ophelia to introduce herself further.

The pink haired woman felt herself becoming slightly more composed, and she tried to give the most confident smile she could. "I'm Ophelia," she gestured to Gage and Jason, introducing them quickly before rattling off the names of the other men, Aiden and Gary.

The strange vault dweller smiled warmly at the small group, giving a small curtsy. "Nice to meet you all, my name is Alexandra, but you can call me Alex. If you'd kindly wait here for me, I can get a Stimpak and some bandages for you, Gage." Trusting as ever, the curvy woman turned away and marched off into the vault, on a mission to help the raider.

As soon as she was out of the room and the automatic door had gently sealed shut behind her, Gary let out a loud wolf whistle. "Damn, you know this place was a good idea. I could get used to this, we already got some hot chick waiting on us. I wonder what else she does?" He gave an obnoxious chuckle, elbowing Jason and nearly making the smaller man tumble off the metal bench. Jason's face was still beet red, and showed no sign of letting up.

Gage gripped his forearm a little tighter, gritting his teeth and speaking in a low, irritated tone. "I honestly don't like this shit one bit. None of you are slightly worried at all that we have seen no one else since we got in this place?"

Ophelia felt a small spark of irritation ignite within herself, but tried to remain in control of her emotions. "Gage, she said she would explain after she gets you patched up. I'm pretty sure that if she wanted to kill us or some shit, she would have already done it. Why would she waste medical supplies on a man that will be dying soon?"

The more experienced raider sighed, clearly set on arguing with the woman. "Opie, how do we know that's even what she went to do? For all we know she could come back in here with six armed dudes to take us the fuck out."

Cringing at the nickname, Ophelia fought the urge to dig her finger into his wound. "Gage, do not call me that. Now is not the time or place. If shit gets crazy, I can guarantee that we are better armed and have a lot more experience."

As if on cue, Alex returned to the cafeteria with some bandages, peroxide, and a stimpak in hand. "I'm terribly sorry to keep you all waiting; are you doing alright, Mr. Gage?"

The older man scowled at her, and Ophelia wanted to smack the shit out of him. This woman didn't know him from a hole in the ground and was sharing her supplies willingly, and all he could do was give her dirty looks. "Don't call me that." Ophelia glared daggers into his soul at his sharp retort.

The vault dweller's expression shifted slightly, going from that welcoming smile, to offense, to some dark look that Ophelia could have sworn she was imagining, before doing a complete 180 back to that winning smile. "I apologize, I don't get many guests, so I can be very formal at times. May I tend to your arm?"

The aging man gave her a stiff nod and she motioned for him to follow her over to the kitchen area, where Ophelia presumed she would be leading him to a sink. I could hear Gage grumbling in pain, and Alex apologizing in her gentle tone as a result.

Aiden's expression was unreadable, as always. Ophelia had been wondering what was going on inside the man's head, and now he was leaning across the table to speak quietly to her. "This place could be a big deal for us, Boss. Why don't we just take it from her?"

A strange sense of rage ignited inside of the Overboss. "No one lays a hand on her. That woman is helping a total stranger right now, and has been nothing if not completely proper to us. She doesn't know us from a fucking hole in the ground, but she's already been more welcoming and helpful than anyone you could meet in the Wastes. I've got a good feeling about her."

Gary, as vulgar as ever, decided to chime in. "What kinda good feeling, Ophelia?" He winked suggestively before rubbing between his legs and imitating a woman moaning, dramatically rolling his eyes back in his head.

Jason snickered while Aiden gave the man a deadpan look. Ophelia felt her cheeks flush almost as pink as her hair. She swatted the man on the arm and sputtered in disgust. "You're fucking gross, Gary! I'm still your superior, and you'd do best to fucking remember that!"

Gary wiped some tears from his eyes from how hard he had started laughing. "Lighten up, maybe I just like the idea of you getting superior all over our beautiful hostess."

The men guffawed even louder, and Ophelia threw her hands up in exasperation. Before she could say anything, Alex was leading a grumbling Gage back in.

Ruby lips smiled alluringly, and brilliant emeralds met Ophelia's. "I believe Gage here will be just fine. Nothing a Stim and some bandages couldn't fix," she paused briefly, noting that Gary was lowly chuckling, "Did something happen?"

Gary opened his mouth to say something, probably disgusting and sexual no doubt, but Ophelia interrupted him. "Oh nothing to be concerned with. Men and their strange humor. Why don't we discuss your situation here?"

Alex nodded slowly, her expression somewhat grim. "My. Well, we suffered from a very bad radroach infestation. People were getting killed in their rooms, mostly the elderly or weak. They would disappear for a while, and when we would go to check up on them, we would find a roach feasting away on their body. It grew. The problem spread like wildfire, leaving panic and bodies in its wake. It got to the point where most people evacuated. I stayed behind with a few others that were brave enough to fight. As you can see, I'm the only one that faired well." She gestured to the emptiness around her shapely body, a sadness hanging about her pretty features.

Gage was quick to drill her for more information; Ophelia knew him well and he obviously thought she was lying. "So you're telling me that the others left to go brave the wastes because of some fucking roaches? And out of all the fighters you are the only survivor?" He scoffed.

The vault dweller instantly looked offended, and Ophelia felt her heart sink. "Did you expect me to lay down and die? Tell me, Mr. Gage, do you think I'm weak because I'm a vault dweller, or because I'm a woman?"

Just when Ophelia thought that she could not fall any harder for this beautiful stranger, she most definitely did. She did not just fall, she leapt. She stood quickly, gently placing a hand on Alex's shoulder, "Please do not take offense to my...partner's comment. He means nothing by it, just that the wastes are a very unforgiving place. Especially for women, but even more so for beautiful women."

Ophelia was more than a little shocked by her own forwardness, but the look of approval that Alex gave her was worth every word. "I'll tell you folks what," Alex paused to look at her Pip-Boy, "it is getting later in the evening. I would be very honored if you would like to stay for tonight. The vault is very generous with amenities and luxuries that most people only can dream of. Air conditioning, hot showers, pool tables and games, even a bar and smoking room. I would welcome you to them."

Jason and Gary's faces lit up like a couple of children on Christmas morning, whereas Gage and Aiden exchanged a hard look of disapproval. Jason was the first to speak in his shaky voice, "I would love that, Miss Alex."

The pin up smiled at him, and the young raider's cheeks flushed a bright red. The awkward young man dropped his eyes to the floor, his scruffy brown hair falling in his face. Alex gave a small smile, and a quiet hum of thought.

Ophelia sputtered out her words without even consulting her second in command that was obviously intent on leaving as soon as possible. "I would be absolutely delighted to share the night with you, Alex."

She didn't even catch how suggestive the words sounded until Alex lightly bit at her lower lip in an intoxicating manner, the full red flesh rolling away from small, even white teeth as those emerald eyes peeked up from long, dark eyelashes. The vault dweller did so with a wide grin, as if she knew the effect that she was having on the raider.

 _Oh my god, she's fucking perfect._ Ophelia knew in that moment that she had to have this woman. Gage had been a constant for the past few years, but she had never even wanted him. She did not want to be Overboss, and she sure as hell didn't want to be stuck with Stockholm Syndrome for some man who was twice her age, and had half the balls she did.

She often considered killing him in his sleep. Staring at his snoring face after a round of disappointing sex that failed to do much for her at all, ensured that all she could think about was suffocating him with a pillow. Gage had grown even more bitter somehow over the years.

At first he had a constant sneer plastered onto his rather plain features. He knew that by forcing her hand and making her choose Nuka World over the Minuteman due to the fear of death had completely eliminated her will to live. Gage loved having a boss who didn't have the spirit to completely stand up for herself. Ophelia was nothing but a pretty, broken toy for him.

After some time, he fell genuinely in love with her. Porter Gage would have done anything for Ophelia, his one true love. The raider queen thought of this as the honeymoon phase. There had been something there for a while, and she thought that she might have even reciprocated his feelings. She grew drunk with power; they raided more than the man had in years, or so he claimed. They made wild love almost every night.

With time it changed. Ophelia felt herself losing that thrill of being by his side. Gage would still do anything for her, even though he was becoming more and more grumpy and agitated. He still whispered sweet things into her ear while he laid in bed with her, and told her how much she was perfect for him while he drove himself into her over and over, panting and sweating, not even wondering why the woman was laying there almost lifeless.

It was as plain and simple as unrequited love, but as complicated as being mentally imprisoned by someone that had completely taken over her life. Gage was still her best friend and confidant, however. She knew she was drifting, and she knew that he saw this and it killed him inside, but she never realized that she did not need him until she laid eyes on that woman with those raven black curls, Alexandra.

"Should I show you all to your rooms? Perhaps I could whip something up to eat as well." Alex was as polite as ever, standing there in front of the raider queen with her hands clasped politely, and her shoulders back and proud as she offered Ophelia anything that she wanted.

"Both of those would be lovely, Alex." For a woman who had been murdering and raiding for years, Ophelia felt that Alex's very presence made her want to be on her best behavior.

…

"Why the fuck don't you want to share a room with me, Opie? I feel like I don't even know you lately. You make decisions without asking me at all, you spare vault dwellers. This shit is too weird." Gage was sitting on the immaculate couch in the room that Alex had given Ophelia, his face twisted in a look of pain. The look of a man that was realizing that his woman did not love him any longer.

"Gage, I am around you 24 hours a day and 7 days a week; and I have been for years. I just want some time to myself for a bit and I honestly don't think that's a big deal. Do you not want some time away from me?"

Gage had a heartbroken look in his single eye; it made Ophelia's chest ache a little. "No. I don't, Ophelia. Because I love you and I always will. If you want me to give you some space I will, but I won't enjoy a single moment of it."

 _He is so fucking dramatic._ The pink haired woman fought the urge to roll her eyes, and opted instead to push the button on the door for the man to leave. Gage stared at her for what felt like an eternity, and she gave a gentle wave of her hand in the general direction of the door to get him moving.

The aging man acquiesced, giving her sad, dead eyes before rising to his feet and exiting the small room. Ophelia smashed the button with a sigh of relief, before quickly pulling the blinds shut over the small window that looked out into the hallway. She wanted to lock the door, but when she hit the button to do so, nothing happened. Her finger depressed the mechanism several more times in frustration, but the door did not comply.

The raider queen sighed in frustration, but a small part of her hoped that Gage had gotten her message loud and clear. Without another thought, she began stripping off her worn clothing. She smelled like sweat and had that dirty stench of death and blood on her.

From the moment Alex had mentioned that her room had a hot shower, it was the dominant thought in the pink haired woman's brain. Heading into the bathroom, she looked about, taking in the small sink and mirror combo. There was a toothbrush neatly laid on the edge of the sink, a tube of toothpaste on the opposite edge, and a bar of soap placed gently in the upper corner.

Everything in the room was pristine, scrubbed to a polish. You could probably eat off the damn floor. As much as she loved the gritty, hardened wastes, there was a large part of her that felt calmed by something so neat and orderly. She could get used to this place.

When the hot water met her skin, Ophelia could not help but let out an audible groan of approval. All of her stress, and pain, and worry seemed to melt away. Looking down at her feet, she saw the water taking on discoloration as it ran down the drain. A small part of her was astonished that her skin had been so dirty, and another part was ashamed that she had been standing before someone as intoxicating as Alex in such a filthy state.

Grabbing the soap and shampoo, she set about the task of scrubbing her skin and hair as much as she could. When the water no longer ran down the drain with a disgusting brownish tinge, the pink haired woman felt satisfied with herself.

She clambered out of the shower, nearly slipping on the water that remained. There was a simple white bathrobe hanging on the wall near the door, and she shrugged into the cloth. It was one of the softest things she had ever felt, and it had such a beautiful scent to it, unlike anything she had ever smelled before. Burying her nose in the cloth without a second thought, she enjoyed it for a few moments.

It was the little things that she found herself taking so much pleasure in. Making her way over to the sink, she brushed her teeth until they no longer felt caked with plague and dirt. When Ophelia looked at herself in the mirror, she almost looked like a completely different person. Her face was absent of dirt or blood, her teeth looking almost white. Her skin was smooth, despite some small scars that were usually kept hidden away under her clothing.

She gave herself a genuine, happy smile, looking at her reflection grinning back like she had just won the lottery. Tying her robe shut, the pink haired woman found a brush and a blow dryer in a small cabinet in the corner of the room. Making quick use of them, she covered her ears with her hair, a self conscious tic that she had developed since being a child. The ragged remains of her left ear covered by that wildly pink hair, Ophelia gave a satisfied sigh.

It had been a long time since she had felt this good about herself. No wonder Alex took so much pride in looking so put together with her carefully styled hair and makeup.

As she began to head back to the main living area, she felt herself hit with a dilemma. What the fuck was she supposed to wear? Her clothing was filthy and caked with dirt and blood. When she opened the bathroom door, she heard a quiet humming and her hackles immediately rose. It quickly occurred to her that someone waas in her little apartment, and she had no weapons on her at all. Not that she really needed her guns to kill someone.

A small part of her thought that it might have been Gage, and the idea of him touching her at all made her stomach churn; but this humming was low and sultry and alluring. There was only one other woman in the vault, and the idea of that woman with those raven curls waiting for her while she was in nothing but a robe made her blood boil with excitement.

Alex was bent over the large sink in the kitchen area, and it quickly occurred to Ophelia that she had unzipped the upper portion of that right leather vault suit, and it was now pooled around shapely hips. She wore an equally tight simple tank top underneath, the white cloth impossibly spotless. The vault dweller was scrubbing away at something in the sink full of water, her hips and her backside lightly shaking back and forth as she scrubbed.

Ophelia caught herself staring at this woman's thick leather clad backside for longer than necessary before she awkwardly cleared her throat. "What are you doing in here?" It came off as slightly rude, and Ophelia regretted the words as soon as she had spoken them.

Alex whirled around in shock, placing a soaking wet hand against her chest as if holding her heart. Those emerald eyes were wide and Ophelia blushed slightly as they locked eyes. Her own blue eyes immediately followed Alex's hand for some reason, and she quickly noted that the water from it had soaked the front of her tank top. There was a lacy black bra peeking clearly through, her large breasts barely contained by the cloth.

Ophelia's cheeks colored brightly and she forced herself, quite unsuccessfully, to look away. "Oh, excuse me, ma'am. I wasn't trying to be rude, you've just caught me off guard because I just had a shower and I wasn't expecting anyone, and…" she yammered off quickly, trying to distract herself.

Alex lowered her hand, giving a gentle chuckle. "I am very sorry to barge in so unannounced, Miss Ophelia. I had finished up dinner and I was making my rounds, and when you didn't answer I just let myself in. The locking mechanism is broken, you see? When I heard the shower I figured it would be a kindness if I were to launder your clothing for you. Our washing machine is on the fritz, and I haven't quite figured it out yet. Washing everything by hand is such a chore, but it is worth it."

Ophelia swallowed thickly, that blush not leaving her cheeks. Alex could zip her suit up at any time, she knew there was no possible way that she did not feel how wet her shirt was. A small part of the raider wondered if this woman was teasing her; she thought of the way that she had suggestively bitten her lip back in the atrium. "I appreciate the effort so much, Alex. You don't have to go through all that trouble with me. Perhaps I could have Jason look at your washing machine as a repayment? He's very crafty."

The vault dweller smiled warmly, tucking some of her raven hair behind her ear. "I am quite crafty myself, I would not worry about it too much. I'll get the old girl back on the lam soon enough, I am quite good with my hands."

Ophelia looked her carefully cut and painted nails, the same shade of ruby as her lips, and almost couldn't see this woman doing anything but posing for a pre war calendar. August 2077, featuring Alexandra in a skin tight vault suit and holding a wrench as she sat on top of some pre war automobile. Her mind melted at the thought.

Alex must have taken her silence as disinterest, as she quickly waved a dismissive hand through the air. "Oh, I apologize. I can ramble about silly things quite often. Why don't I take you to where I have prepared your dinner?"

Was this how it was for pre war men who came Home from work at a decent hour, loosening their tie and kicking off their shoes, while their wife as beautiful as Alex waited on them? She got a rather odd visual in her head of herself hanging up her hat and kicking off her shoes, Alex greeting her in some light blue day dress, kissing her with those full, red lips and loosening her tie for her.

It was a strange mental image, though not unpleasant, and it gave Ophelia a warm fuzzy feeling as the woman with the raven curls sat her down at the simple table. She had prepared some kind of steak, mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese. There was a glass of clean water, as well as a glass of Nuka Cola with ice.

Ophelia was taken aback by Alex's generosity, and she looked up at the beautiful woman with wide blue eyes. Her heart was fluttering as Alex stared back, her expression open and kind, those ruby lips curved upwards in a welcoming smile. "I do hope you will enjoy my cooking. I make do with what small rations we have left, as well as trading with anyone that passes through due to that message. Oh, and I did not want to assume that you partake in alcohol, so I played it safe with a cold Nuka Cola instead. Would you prefer something stronger?"

Ophelia shook her head gently, completely taken with everything about the vault dweller. Alex nodded politely, taking a seat next to the raider at the table and crossing those long, shapely legs. "I should finish your laundry soon enough, I just don't want to be rude and run off again without much of a chance to speak."

The raider took a heavy drink of the water, feeling the pure and clean liquid invigorate her dry mouth. "Why are you being so kind to us? I've never met anyone as fearless and kind, and pure as you."

Alex giggled gently, drawing a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. How the things got into the tight suit without being crushed was a miracle. She asked for approval, to which Ophelia said she did not mind. "Well," Alex began lowly, gently placing her lighter and pack of cigarettes onto the table, "I think that it is important to be a good hostess to any guests. As simple as that."

Ophelia blinked, astonished that this woman was even still alive. "Has no one ever tried to take advantage of this kindness? As I mentioned before, the wastes are very cruel; full of nasty people ready to shoot you as soon as look at you."

Alex exhaled a plume of smoke, the butt of her cigarette stained ruby red from her lips. "Well of course. Being a woman looking the way I do, I have had more than my share of fools that think I am weak or stupid. I've woken up with men that wanted to stay here snooping about my room, and even had a few on top of me." Ophelia felt her cheeks flush with anger at this comment. The idea of some bastard trying to take advantage of such a kind woman made her never want to leave Alex's side. The vault dwellers smoky voice drew her attention back. "But I am no shrinking violet honey. Looks are deceiving, and clearly I am still here. I am not afraid to get my hands dirty."

"You are incredible." Ophelia could not muster any more than that. This woman continued to surprise her with each sentence she spoke, and the idea of Alex putting down some stupid prick made her want to beg the raven haired woman to take her then and there.

Alex smiled and gave a low chuckle. "Oh, I try my best, Miss Ophelia. You would do best to eat before your dinner gets cold now." She ashed her cigarette in a small ashtray nearby, before looking down at her shirt. Time had done little to dry the cloth, and Alex shrugged a little as she looked at her compromising situation. Ophelia tried to focus instead on eating, but had a hard time concentrating.

"I do hope you are not thinking of me as some **hussy** right now. If you were a man I would have zipped this right back up; it's very refreshing to have another woman around. I feel comfortable around you. Honestly, this poor shirt is probably going to get even more soaked when I finish up your laundry; do you think I should just remove it now, or would this disturb you?"

The raider nearly choked on her mashed potatoes, and she quickly gulped some Nuka Cola to cover herself. "Um, I can't give much of an answer to that one, Alex. Do whatever makes you feel most comfortable. I would just hate for Gage to pop in and think the worst, you know?"

Alex was giving Ophelia some kind of devilish grin, rising to her feet and stubbing out her cigarette. "Hmm, it's very constricting, but I do not wish to step on any toes," her long fingers fiddled with the hem of the shirt, moving it slowly upwards, exposing enough of her alabaster, smooth skin and the curve of her shapely hips to make Ophelia fantasize then and there, before changing her mind and dragging it back down to cover her navel. "I'll be right in the other room if you need me." There almost seemed to be a double entendre in those words. Alex strutted off, back to the sink, with that alluring sway to her hips.

Ophelia sat there, absolutely shell shocked by the other woman's behavior. The woman with the raven curls was most definitely teasing her, there was no doubt about it. She would not bend over into a sink that far without realizing how enticing it made her ass look. Nor would she bite her lip in such a suggestive manner, or expose half of her belly while clearly gauging Ophelia's reaction.

It was almost like the woman could see that her relationship with Gage was hanging by a small thread, and she wanted to pull and tease that thread until it snapped. Surely this seemingly omniscient creature knew that Ophelia was terribly frustrated with the whole situation; she simply did not find the aging man attractive anymore. He couldn't even satisfy her needs, sexually or in a loving manner. She hated him. Desperately she was craving something new and different, and this curvy pin up knew that, and seemed intent on pushing the raider queen to the edge.

Her skin felt like it was on fire, but when she heard Alex go back to her scrubbing, she forced herself to focus on the food. The mashed potatoes were rich and creamy, as was the mac and cheese. Ophelia determined that the meat must have been some kind of pork, and it was tender and juicy. Scarfing down everything like a starving animal, the raider then polished off both of her drinks before leaning back in her chair, full and satisfied.

As if on cue, Alex strutted back into the room, slowly zipping up her jumpsuit as she did so. The woman gave an exhausted sigh as she looked at her Pip-Boy. "My my, it's already nearly 9. I should be heading out now, and let you get some rest. I did put a vault suit on the bed for you to wear while your clothing dries. And if you should need anything I am not too far away, room number 14." Alex gave a winning smile, picking up Ophelia's dishes and heading to the doorway. Those emerald eyes looked back at Ophelia's own, "Sweet dreams, Miss Ophelia." With a quick wink, that woman with the raven curls was gone and the door was quietly whirring shut behind her.

It was quite odd being alone, and it was even odder to have a genuine fire ignited at the base of her thighs. The raider shed the robe without a second thought, crawling into the clean covers of the bed and setting the carefully folded leather vault suit, twin to Alex's, onto the bedside table. A small switch near the bed shut the lights out, and the quiet humming of the vault wrapped around her senses.

Her mind was clouded with the seductress, there was no doubt in her mind that this otherworldly woman desired her, and all she could think of was pressing her lips to Alex's of full crimson. She wanted to kiss her slowly and passionately, before growing hungrier and requiring more. Before she knew it, she was fantasizing about being on top of all of those curves, drinking in every inch of the woman's porcelain skin after removing that impossibly form fitting suit, gripping those raven curls loosely as the vault dweller dipped her head between the raider's thighs. Seemingly on its own accord, her hand had found its way to stoke the fire growing inside of her lower abdominals.

Low gasps and moans fell from her lips, and the raider queen felt herself coming undone almost embarrassingly quickly as she thought of Alex; she finished with a loud moan, burying her face in the pillow, taking in the smell of clean cotton. Chest heaving, she lay back in shock of how depraved she was acting. A mere few hours after meeting this exquisite creature, she had already climaxed while thinking of her. Part of her felt ashamed, but another part felt that Alex would enjoy knowing that her teasing was definitely having an effect.

Gage would be furious. The man was notoriously jealous, and had killed more than a few that had showed interest in "his woman." Surprising herself, she was not worried about making him happy; doing something for herself had made her feel absolutely blissful. For the first time in many years, Ophelia fell asleep feeling actual positive emotion, and without a thought of Porter Gage in her mind.


	2. Desire

When Ophelia's eyes cracked open they were met with the dim darkness of her room, a cool breeze blowing on her exposed body. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was and that the previous day's events had not been a dream. The cool air of the air conditioner had raised her skin up in goosebumps, and she slowly sat up in the bed, stretching with a low groan. She blushed slightly, realizing that she had slept in the nude all night with a door that did not lock.

Part of her didn't want to leave the softness of the clean bed, but her heart quickened with the thought of seeing her enchanting hostess. Her sapphire eyes skimmed over a small clock that hung on the wall, 10 AM. This was actually surprisingly early for her; back in Nuka World she would be lucky to wake up by 2 PM. Shrugging into the tight leather of the vault suit, she felt herself blush deeply. How the hell did Alex walk around in these things? It hugged her body tightly, but not uncomfortably. It made her self conscious about how thin she was. Looking at herself in the mirror, she looked at her small breasts and thin backside, feeling inadequate compared to Alex. "Well, I feel fucking ridiculous."

She made her way out into the hallway, trying to gain her bearings and remember where the cafeteria was. The thought of running into Alex in this vault suit made her blush with embarrassment. She had always been self conscious about her body. Ophelia had been a premature baby, apparently the doctors were genuinely surprised when she survived for more than a week. As a result, she had always been somewhat thinner, and more prone to sickness.

The raider queen crossed her arms over her humble chest, her cheeks flushed with discomfort. All she wanted was her layered clothing and long coat to hide in. She carefully styled her hair over her ears, making sure that the remains of her left ear was covered by her bright pink hair.

As the door to the cafeteria slid open, she took in the sight of Gary, Aiden, and Gage sitting at a table, eating pancakes and eggs. Gage's plate was almost untouched, and his single eye brightened up like a kid on Christmas morning as soon as he saw Ophelia in the tight vault suit. He stood from the table, wearing a shit eating grin; Ophelia wanted to punch him in the groin.

"Damn, Opie. Looking good. Maybe we can take a couple of these suits home with us to spice it up a bit, hmm?" His arms snaked around her body, and she was immediately hit with his body odor.

Shoving him away, she glared at him. "Jesus Christ. You smell like hell, Gage. Have you even fucking showered yet?" He still wore the same clothing from yesterday, and when she looked at Gary she noted that he was wearing a vault suit as well, Aiden was not. Jason was nowhere to be seen.

Aiden gave a scowl, "I still think we should take this place from that bitch. She's way too trusting, it's fucking stupid. Coming knocking on my door to bring me a tray of food like we're neighbors." He scowled and shook his head, picking at the remains of his pancake.

The raider queen felt a spark ignite within her, her right hand twitched, aching for her gun. "You better shut your fucking mouth, Aiden, before I make you. Feel free to leave at any time, boys, but I'm sticking around. I wanna know what's going on here."

Gage rounded on her, his voice an angry snarl. "Why the fuck do you care so much anyway, Ophelia?" The man towered over her, getting so close to her face that she could smell his rancid breath. "Ever since we stepped foot in this fucking tin can, you've had your head so far up this bitch's ass that you can't breathe fresh air. What the fuck is up with that?"

When Gage used to get jealous, it used to scare the hell out of Ophelia. When Porter Gage felt threatened, he got violent. Be it to the person that was expressing interest in "his woman" or whether it was Ophelia getting a little too friendly for his liking with someone new. This usually ended with the other person dead, and Ophelia sporting a black eye or some bruises. Being in Nuka World for so long had hardened her however, and she squared up to the large man without hesitation. Aiden and Gary had fallen completely wordless as the couple bickered.

"I think she could be useful, Gage. Plus she keeps good company and she actually has some fucking manners; it's pretty refreshing to be around someone that doesn't smell like they fell into Brahmin shit." The man's nostrils flared in pure anger, his single eye wide. "What the fuck are you going to do, Gage? Beat the shit outta me? Come on. Let's have it!" She shoved him slightly, daring him to go over the edge.

She had no doubt in her mind that she could drop him to his knees with one swift kick to the junk, another would snap his head back and send blood flying from his mouth. Surely if things went south and he did hit her, Gary would definitely knock the aging raider on his ass. Gary was a large, barrel chested man with a long, dirty black Mohawk and arms thick with muscle and covered with various tattoos; most importantly, he was fiercely loyal to Ophelia.

He teased her quite a bit, and that was how they joked with each other, but he had laid his life on the line for her several times. As if on cue, the large man rose from his seat, placing a hand on Ophelia's shoulder and pulling her back from Gage slightly. "Ophelia, you need to take it down a notch. What the fuck is going on here? Has he hit you?"

Ophelia glared daggers at Gage, and he sent them right back. Gage spoke lowly, "No couple is fucking perfect. Okay, Ophelia? I've made mistakes. I have fucked up, okay? But I wouldn't fucking do that to you. Not anymore."

There was some hint of regret in his eye, his anger simmering down. Perhaps he did regret it, but she was still pissed. "I don't fucking care, Gage. I want to be left alone for a bit." She shrugged away from Gary, and the man let her go. He respected her greatly, and he watched her march off with protective eyes.

When the pink haired woman left the room, he stepped close to Gage, making the older man realize that Gary was actually massive compared to his thinning frame. "If I ever find out that you have laid a hand on my boss again, I will fucking break your spine, Gage. I don't care if you are the second in command, I follow that woman before I ever follow you."

Gage glared back at the man, but said nothing before storming off in the opposite direction of Ophelia.

…

Ophelia found herself standing outside of room number 14, and knocked loudly on the metal without any hesitation. Her legs seemed to come here of their own accord, and her entire frame was shaking slightly with anger.

The door to Alex's room slid open with a quiet mechanical whirr, and Ophelia immediately felt all of her anger and hatred dissipate into the ether as soon as she locked onto those warm emerald eyes.

Alex wore some sort of silky black robe that fell to her mid-thigh. Her hair was slightly mussed from sleep and she only had on her eyeliner, as if Ophelia had interrupted her in the middle of her beauty routine. Despite her unstyled hair and lack of makeup, Ophelia thought that this was a goddess that stood before her.

The vault dweller blushed slightly, as if embarrassed that Ophelia was seeing her in such a state. "I apologize for my wretchedness, I woke up early and made some breakfast before coming back here to actually prepare for the day." That silky voice paused for a moment, taking in Ophelia's flushed skin and trembling arms. "Are you alright, darling? Did something happen?"

The genuine concern in her voice nearly made Ophelia melt, and being in the very presence of the vault dweller made her anger start to disappear like the clouds shying away from the sun. "I would rather talk about it in private, if that's okay."

"Oh, of course." The curvy woman stepped aside, letting Ophelia step into her room. The raider queen was immediately aware of how homey this room was compared to her own. There was a plush red rug, embroidered with intricate designs. A large vanity mirror scattered with different makeups sat across from her massive bed, covered with red and black silk sheets and blankets. It smelled like some sort of warm perfume, the delicate scent filling her senses and giving her an instantly relaxed feeling. Alex filled all of her senses, and Ophelia immediately felt at ease.

Alex drifted back to the vanity, applying her ruby lipstick with a careful practiced hand, those emerald eyes studied Ophelia closely in the mirror. The raider blushed slightly, making her way over to a comfortable looking couch, sitting down and gently rubbing the smooth, undamaged leather.

The vault dweller put her lipstick away, before quickly brushing out her hair and studying her natural curls. Satisfied with her look, she strutted over to the couch, taking a seat next to Ophelia and resting her head on her hand, those black curls contrasting beautifully against her porcelain skin. "What's going on, Ophelia? You seem quite upset."

There was a small warring of emotions in the pink haired woman before she felt her strength faltering. She always had to be the strong one, the leader, suppressing emotion and taking control of every situation and showing how hard she was. She felt like she didn't have to put on a facade around this exquisite woman.

She could feel tears burning their way into her sapphire eyes, and she looked up at Alex as her facade crumbled. The other woman quickly lifted her head away from her hand, concern creeping into her eyes as she saw that this unshakeable woman was breaking. "Ophelia?"

Ophelia clenched her jaw to push away tears, feeling that anger and sadness slowly creeping in as she thought of Gage. "I didn't want any of this. I never wanted to be in charge of anything, they made me! They literally held a fucking gun to my head, Alex."

The vault dweller opened her mouth to say something, but it was all spilling out of Ophelia where it had been building and building for years. "I was in the Minutemen, doing good, helping people. I was in love with an amazing man, Preston. All I wanted was to settle down with him, fight for what was right and start a family. And then that motherfucker Gage took it all away from me."

Alex gently placed a hand on her shoulder, those emerald eyes warm like the sunrise, full of genuine emotion unlike anything Ophelia had seen in a very long time. "Honey, your boyfriend, Gage? What did he do?"

"They knew who I was, scoped me out as their main threat because I was the General of the Minutemen. They killed my men and took me as a hostage, making me complete their sick tests before deeming me worthy enough to challenge their Overboss and kill him. It seemed like if I could do what they wanted, they would let me go; but it was all bullshit. They made me radio Preston, tell him horrible things about how I decided that raiding would be far easier than helping people."

Alex's voice was soft as ever, "Oh honey…", squeezing Ophelia's shoulder gently and pulling her close. Those traitorous tears finally fell from her eyes, and she let the taller woman hold her, smelling her perfume and feeling her impossibly soft porcelain skin.

Her head was resting on the raven haired woman's chest, those pale arms wrapped protectively around her. "I hated him for a long time, but after awhile I guess it was like Stockholm Syndrome. I think I loved him for a while, but he was so possessive. I'm his superior technically, but he could get so jealous that he would be purposefully disobedient to his orders, and if anyone got too friendly with me, he would threaten to kill them - often did - or would kick the shit out of me."

Alex's breath caught for a moment, and Ophelia wondered if she was revealing too much. She stopped talking suddenly, her mouth going as dry as cotton. "I'm sorry...I really shouldn't be unloading all of this into you. Perhaps we should go."

The raider queen began to pull away, but the vault dweller would not have her leave so easily. Alex pulled her back gently, yet firmly, and Ophelia landed with her elbow slightly above Alex's left shoulder, her left hand on the vault dweller's right shoulder and her humble chest pressed flush against Alex's full bust.

Ophelia blushed furiously, barely able to feel much through the leather of her suit, but she was able to feel that the other woman was not wearing a bra. Alex's silk robe was soft under her hands, and her eyes drifted down on their own accord, seeing that those full breasts were barely contained by the robe. Her thoughts from the previous night suddenly surfaced in her mind, and she awkwardly looked back to Alex's eyes to gauge her reaction. It felt like the woman could read her mind and feel the shame and embarrassment from her depravity.

There was some sort of hunger in those emerald eyes that had been evident before, when she bit her lip in the atrium and when she had been washing Ophelia's clothes. Alex did not push her away, those eyes drifting down to the raider's lips with a curious expression. "And why do you stay in this horrible situation, darling? It sounds like Gage is a monster, even by Wasteland standards."

Ophelia's brain didn't quite process the words right away, and the thought of seizing Alex's lips right now passed through her increasingly depraved mind. "That is a question I don't quite know the answer to. Routine perhaps? I don't have anywhere else to go." Her voice was shaky and hesitant, nervous being so close to the vault dweller.

Alex's fingertips lightly traced her arms. "You could always have a place here. The vault is secure now, the roaches dead and anyone that doesn't behave is dealt with quickly."

Ophelia considered the woman's words greatly, weighing her options, but Alex spoke again quickly. "So, your men are raiders then?"

The raider's blood ran cold, knowing that she was definitely in a vulnerable position here. If Alex deemed her a threat, it would be too easy for the raven haired woman to strike her down right now. She was vulnerable, her eyes cloudy with tears, not to mention she was completely unarmed and wouldn't be able to harm Alex, even if her life depended on it. Ophelia's answer was more than slightly shaky. "Yes."

"And I suppose that you came here to kill me and claim this place as your own then?" Her voice was gentle and sultry as ever, no sense of malice in her tone - she spoke matter of factly - yet Ophelia felt like all of her senses were screaming for her to leave now. This strange sense of danger was glaring in her soul.

Those emerald eyes studied her own carefully, prying out the pink haired woman's secrets with their gentle curiosity. "This was the original plan...but I wouldn't let any of them harm you."

Alex's thumb traced Ophelia's full lower lip lightly before gently pushing the woman away and standing from her position on the couch. Ophelia sat there, unable to move. "Of course, but I do not need a protector."

That black silk was slipping slightly, a large amount of the raven haired woman's generous cleavage exposed. Ophelia was certain that Alex was aware of this, and she studied the raider carefully with an amused expression, watching her eyes to make sure they were mapping the correct areas.

Ophelia was blushing furiously, knowing that this vault dweller was taunting her again. She knew her cheeks were blood red, and her eyes were glued to the raven haired woman's bust until she gave a small hum and turned off in the direction of her bed, those full hips swaying suggestively. The raider queen nearly asked the other woman what the hell she thought she was doing. At this point she knew that the vault dweller was acting scandalously to push her over the edge. Ophelia wasn't exactly sure of why, but the simple fact that she kept doing these things over and over again, she knew that Alex was teasing her.

Alex slowly loosened the simple silk belt of her robe, letting the smooth fabric slip down even smoother, porcelain skin. By the time that the raven haired woman turned around, the metal door was quietly purring as it shut behind the retreating raider queen. The vault dweller sighed disappointedly into her now empty room.

…

The day was a bit of a blur, and Ophelia had managed to avoid Gage since the disastrous breakfast. She picked over some of the leftover pancakes and forced herself to eat some of the eggs. Her appetite was almost non-existent, but she would rather go without the nasty feeling that she got in her stomach when she went too long without eating. Aiden was nowhere to be found, and after wandering about for a bit, the raider found herself in the bar.

Gary was perched at a barstool, nursing some sort of bright blue drink. As Ophelia leaned in the doorway, she gave a laugh as the massive man drained the glass of the brightly colored spirit. "Gary, what the fuck are you drinking?"

He looked at her with an expression of drunken carelessness, and the pink haired woman found the heavily tattooed man's presence to be extremely soothing to her racing thoughts. "Hey, if I wanna have a fucking blue hawaiian, I'm gonna have a fucking blue hawaiian; don't judge me." He put mock offense into his tone, and Ophelia smiled a genuine smile as she sidled up to the bar.

"Fuck it man, I need one of those things too." Ophelia sighed in exasperation, stress clouding her mind.

Gary stood slowly, giving the woman a hearty slap on the back and making his way behind the bar. The large man had become the unofficial bartender for a bit back in Nuka World, he could mix any drink that you wanted, and wasn't afraid to throw in some absinthe for that extra alcoholic kick to really knock you on your ass.

"Okay boss, what's got you in the mood to get shitfaced?"

The pink haired woman let her face fall into her hands with a loud groan. "I'm...really confused right now."

She could hear Gary suppress a chuckle as he shook a mixer. "Gotta be more specific than that. Does it have something to do with our thick vault dweller? Or is it that whole drama with Gage?"

Ophelia looked up with heavy eyes as he sat the drink down in front of her. She gave it a slow sip, savoring the sweet flavor and crunching a piece of ice. "Both, I suppose. I never really gave anyone the whole rundown on the Gage thing. Everyone knows he's jealous as fuck, but no one ever realized that if I ever did anything to make him jealous he would kick my fucking ass." She went quiet, sipping more alcohol.

Gary had a dark look on his face, and he slammed down some straight rum in response. "Fucking bastard. Why didn't you ever say anything? You know you can come to me, right?"

Ophelia ran a hand through her hair. "I know, Gary. I just try to deal with my own shit. Lately he's just too much, he is really suffocating me. I'm disgusted by him every single time I have to lay my eyes on him, he isn't even staying in the same room as me."

The raider queen took a heavy hit from her alcohol, savoring the sweetness and that bite of alcohol. She felt herself start to go comfortably light headed and pushed the glass back towards her bartender for a refill. Gary poured a different liquid into the glass, a dark amber. It smelled much stronger. "Sounds like you really need a fuckin' drink. Why don't you just break it off with his ass? You know any guy at Nuka World would kill him for a shot with you." His dark eyes were mischievous, playful as they met her own. "Do I gotta suffocate him in his sleep?"

This garnered a genuine laugh from the pink haired woman. Gary's humor was so refreshing and after the week she had been having. "Hmm, maybe; but this isn't completely the issue. Alex is...something else."

Gary arched an eyebrow, clearly intrigued based upon his shit eating grin. "Holy fucking shit...was I right? Are you trying to get that?" He burst into guffaws of laughter and her entire face felt like it was going to burst into flame.

Her face nearly as pink as her hair, Ophelia slammed down the whisky without hesitation, grimacing as it burned its way down her throat and into her belly. Her glass met the counter with a solid clicking sound. "Pfft, more like she's trying to get this." She gestured at her humble frame, grinning smugly with a newfound confidence from the alcohol.

Gary looked intrigued and amused, and Ophelia chuckled before giving him a serious look. "Gary, let me ask you something. She brought you food I assume, and did anything odd happen when she did?"

He gave her a slightly confused look. "I mean she just knocked on my door, handed me the tray, told me there were spare vault suits in the drawer to wear, then told me to have a goodnight and went off on her way."

Ophelia nodded matter of factly. "Okay, so she didn't just barge in, and hand wash your clothing, and unzip half her vault suit, and ask you if she should take her shirt off?"

Gary nearly choked on his drink. "Wait, she seriously did all that?" His eyes were wide in awe. "And I fucking missed it? What happened next?"

"She left…" Ophelia blushed a little, remembering the bit about how she pleasured herself to the thought of the other woman almost directly after that. "And now I'm so goddamn confused. I've never had thoughts like this about another woman before, and I feel kinda guilty because Gage, but at the same time I couldn't give a fuck about his feelings."

The large man had a smirk on his mouth, and Ophelia rolled her eyes before the words even escaped his lips. "I kind of took you for the sort honestly, and I'm going to have to say that I support hot lesbians. So if you leave Gage for Alex, I'm all about that."

Ophelia let her head fall to the bar, feeling the alcohol warming her body nicely, her head delightfully light with the buzz. "She's just so perfect. I've never seen a woman like her before. So clean and thick in all the right places. You know, I think that she was trying to seduce me again, right before I came here to you."

Gary grinned widely, taking a hit from the bottle this time instead of bothering with a glass. "Ophelia, you better get on that before I do."

The raider queen gave him a self-satisfied look. "Well, seeing as I'm the only one she has expressed any interest in, I'm pretty sure she doesn't like men at all, Gare Bear. Sorry bout your luck."

"That's fuckin' shit. What would you do if she came in here right now, and started pulling her flirty stuff?"

Feeling more confident from the alcohol in her system, Ophelia let out a small laugh. "Well, I'd probably drag her back to my room and show her how frustrated all this teasing has gotten me." She blushed a little still, but gently rubbed her thumb along the rim of her empty glass.

Gary laughed and shook his head, sliding the bottle across the bar and watching the woman take a long drink from it. She wiped her mouth as she passed it back to the other raider. "This was a good idea though, I think I just needed to unwind, clear my head a bit. Maybe shit with me and Gage has been going on too long. I gotta break it to him that I'm just not into it anymore."

The large man nodded slowly, giving her a genuine smile. "Fuckin' A. I agree with than plan, and you know I'll back you up no matter what."

…

About an hour later, Ophelia stumbled into her room, comfortably warm and tingly from alcohol. Her mind was delightfully blank and she had a newfound confidence from her conversation with Gary. She had no clue what time it was, because time seemed to pass so differently in the vault, but she was exhausted and sleepy from the alcohol.

Deliciously lightheaded and smiling from Gary's positive presence, she gently pushed the button for her door to whirr quietly shut behind herself. She tapped the lights on, and nearly shrieked in shock when she saw Porter Gage sitting casually on her bed. He grinned up at her with that dopey grin he got when he was excited to see her.

Everything in Ophelia's world seemed to suddenly come to a screeching halt, and she felt as sober as a priest. "What the fuck are you doing in here?" Her tone was sharp as ever, but somewhat shaky.

Gage stood slowly, and it took her a moment to realize that he was wearing a vault suit. His skin was surprisingly clean and his face clean shaven. He placed a gentle, hesitant kiss on her lips and to her shock he tasted minty, like toothpaste. Ophelia stared at the man with wide ocean blue eyes as her voice came out shaky. "Gage...what are you doing?"

The raider's eye was surprisingly gentle, and he lightly took the hands of the woman that he loved. His left hand came up to gently push away some of her bright pink hair from her pretty face. "Ophelia, I'm so sorry for everything. I've been thinking a lot, and I've never treated you the way you deserve to be treated. You know I love you with all my being and I ju-"

Ophelia cut him off by kissing him roughly, grabbing him by the collar of his vault suit. Gage stood there in shock for a few seconds before hesitantly responding. He returned the kiss gently, and lightly took the raider queen by her shoulders to hold her back slightly. "Ophelia, please. I'm trying for you."

"Isn't this what you always wanted, Gage? You always wanted me to take charge more. So shut the fuck up, or I'll make you."

The older man blinked at her in shock, his cheeks going bright red. Ophelia knew what he was trying to do, and she didn't want to fucking hear it. She was done with Gage's phases. This was not the first time that Porter Gage had realized that he was pushing Ophelia away and started acting really sweet. He would act this way for about a week, maybe a little longer if he had been being a real prick, and then go back to being an asshole.

All of her frustrations were coming to the surface. Gage pushing her buttons, Alex's teasing. It was all too much and she had lowered her inhibitions with alcohol to the point where she was acting on base need; and Gage was just convenient.

The man opened his mouth to say something but she kissed him again roughly. She pulled him close by the collar of his vault suit before pushing him roughly backwards. The man had let his guard down and the action took him completely unaware; he stumbled backwards with a cry of shock, falling onto the bed and looking up at Ophelia with confusion in his single eye.

The raider queen straddled him without a second thought, her fingers finding the zipper at the collar of his suit and hiking it down roughly. "Ophelia, you don't have to do this for me. I'm here to be honest with you."

The pink haired woman growled in frustration and lightly gripped his neck. "Who the fuck said I'm doing this for you?"

Ophelia could have sworn there was something akin to shock or fear that flashed through his single eye, but she was too intoxicated and honestly didn't give a shit about what it could have been. She continued about her motions of prying the jumpsuit off of the raider, and part of her would even grudgingly admit that he did have a rather fit body from years of running and generally being very physically active.

Once she had tugged the jumpsuit off of his body, she clambered drunkenly off of him and began ripping her clothes off almost frantically, desperate for release. It was like she was on auto-pilot because something had finally snapped inside her head and she didn't care about her current actions.

Gage lay before her, well muscled and eager, propped up on his elbows to look up at the woman he loved as she removed her clothing as quickly as she could. Some odd part of her felt wanton, but she was feeding off of it in a strange rage induced frustration.

Despite the decently handsome man clearly hard and ready for her, all the raider queen could think of was that raven haired vault dweller. This somehow frustrated her even more as she thought to herself what it would be like if it were Alex that she had tossed onto this bed, those distinctive curls fanned out around her head. There was no doubt that those emerald eyes would be looking up at this desperate woman, full of mischief and temptation.

She was back to Gage now, closing her eyes as she straddled him again. The man leaned up to kiss her, but she pushed him back down, leaving claw marks down his chest. Ophelia refused to look at him, either looking to the side or keeping her blue eyes clenched shut. She halfway expected him to say something because he was being sweet earlier, but the quiet gasps falling from his lips as she worked her hips against his ensured that he would not be talking.

She knew that the images in her mind had nothing to do with this man, and that he would probably beat her ass for even thinking of someone else, but it was all she could do to get herself close to the edge. That climax was almost within reach in that brief moment, but suddenly the man was pushing her away as he finished with a grunt that completely shattered her entire mood.

Disgust was washing over her like the ocean waves washing over the shore. The raider gave her a warm smile, pulling her close to attempt to hold her. "Please do not touch me." Her words were not nearly as sharp as they had been earlier, and Gage looked at her with a bewildered eye.

"Really, Ophelia? After all of that you're going to breakdown like this?" His tone was sharp, scolding, almost like he had caught her with her hand in the cookie jar.

Sobriety was starting to slowly eat at her, and she felt some of her flame dying out. This had not gone how she had imagined it would at all. She was supposed to take control, and use Gage for once, but instead she felt disgusting and angry with herself. The aforementioned man was looking at her for an explanation, but her mouth went dry as cotton. Pulling away and drawing her knees up to her chest, she felt tears stinging in her eyes.

Gage sat up with concern, placing a gentle hand on her back and attempting to comfort her. "What is going on?" His hand worked in a gentle circle on her mid back, but it just relit the fire inside that fueled her anger.

Ophelia quickly got off of the bed, opening the door despite being completely stark naked. "Just get out, this was a mistake." Her voice was still wavering, a single tear running down her cheek. Despite shattering inside, she was still weakly trying to stand up for herself.

Gage gathered his clothing, throwing on what he could. "You owe me a fucking explanation. And I'm not leaving until I get one. I'm trying for you, Ophelia. I seriously fucking am, because you are the only person that has ever been with me for this long, you're the only one that has given a shit."

His rough smashed the button, the gentle whirring of the door as it quietly closed, not quite matching the tense feeling in the room. The two were face to face, and Ophelia felt some of her anger rising again. "Gage, I don't love you anymore. Maybe I did, once; but you're just like a fucking warden. Do you forget that you literally took me away from everything I loved, and held a gun to my head while I begged for mercy? You made me radio the man I loved and say fucking disgusting things to him. You destroyed my goddamn life!" Her voice broke a little as she thought of Preston, and she felt hot tears stream freely down her cheeks, no longer able to control her raw emotion.

In Porter Gage's single eye, she could have sworn there was some heartfelt regret. For a man who had eyes as cold and dead as a shark, there was something there that was true and that she wanted to genuinely believe. In her heart though, she knew that his small moments of emotion were always quick to disappear, or were forgotten by the cruel man. "You're really bringing that up after so long? I can't change what happened, and I know it was a shitty thing. I didn't expect for you to actually step up and start earning people's respect."

Ophelia scoffed, gathering her clothing from the floor and starting to shrug the vault suit back on. "Yes, forcing someone to kill your boss that you fucking hated and take their spot so that it wasn't obvious you were trying to usurp Nuka World is a really shitty thing. You've always been so fucking selfish. Not once did you ever ask if I wanted to leave, not once did you show concern for my well being after all the bullshit you put me through. You're always taking and taking, Gage. You took my fucking life and even that isn't enough for you. The late nights with strange whores, coming home acting like I was fucking blind to the fact that you smelled like sweat and some nasty bitch; but if I so much as looked at someone with any interest, you would kick my ass."

The man stood there in absolute shock at the pink haired woman's meltdown. She was crying and screaming, those small shoulders trembling with emotion. An anger was rising inside the man, at her, at himself, at this fucking vault. "I thought things were okay between us, you've never said anything about any of this for so long; where the hell is this coming from?"

"Are you seriously that fucking blind? Gage. You have held me captive for years, I understand that I am technically your superior because of who I am in Nuka World, but you have fucked with my head on levels you cannot understand. I fucking hate you. Have you even noticed that I haven't smiled at you in months? You have to tell me to kiss you, to touch you, and even then I do it because I'm afraid of what you will do to me when we are alone if I don't cooperate. I haven't come with you in months, the only time I can even get off is when you aren't anywhere near me." All of the years of abuse and rage were spilling out, and Gage actually shrunk back a bit from the woman's sheer anger.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Ophelia smashed the button to open the door. "Now get the fuck away from me. And know that if you try to have me killed, or if you lay a hand on me, you'll be dead before your ass even touches the throne of Nuka World."

For the first time in her life, Ophelia was not afraid of Porter Gage. She felt freed on so many levels, and she felt like she owed much of it to Alex and Gary. As she stared into his cold eye, she was daring the man to lay a hand on her. Most of her expected the man to give her a hard slap across the face, but instead he gave her a thousand yard stare and walked out of the door without a word. Ophelia hastily slammed the button for it to close, knowing that he could easily re-enter if he so pleased due to the broken lock. Shaky hands retrieved her battered 10mm from the nightstand and she grasped the weapon as if her life depended on it. If Gage were to so much as take a step into her room, she would drive a round right through his skull.

The raider queen felt liberated, all of the emotion she had been bottling up for nearly four years had come out in a messy and terrifying way; but it was more therapeutic than anything that she could imagine. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and gave a sigh of resolution. Emotionally drained from everything that had occured in the past however many hours - the vault really fucked with her sense of time - Ophelia wiped at her heavy eyes with her palm, sniffing away the few tears that remained.

Her head hurt from crying, and her eyes burned like hell. She fell into the small bed that was not her own, and gently laid her gun beside her on the cover. A thin finger tapped the lights off, and she tried to focus on the humming of the vault and let the sound lure her to sleep, but she found her ears straining to hear any sort of sounds from the hall. There was no doubt in her mind that Gage may make an attempt on her life at some point, and every muscle in her body was coiled tightly, ready to defend. Ophelia fell asleep feeling like she was back in the dangers of the Wastes.


End file.
